Calgarians rally against use of notwithstanding clause on Transgender Day of Remembrance
CBC
What’s normally a night of grief and remembrance took on a new tone in Calgary on Thursday night, as hundreds of Calgarians rallied against the province’s use of the notwithstanding clause on laws affecting transgender youth.
People filled the plaza at McDougall Centre, a provincial government office, on Transgender Day of Remembrance. It’s a day for grieving transgender people who have lost their lives to anti-trans violence and hate.
Organizer Victoria Bucholtz said it’s usually a somber day. But this year, the community is fighting against Bill 9.
“These policies don’t serve Albertans, and they’re running roughshod over our rights,” said Bucholtz, co-founder of Queer Citizens United, which ran the event.
“To just ram through policies that really seem to violate human rights is a terrifying precedent that our government is establishing here in Alberta.”
Bill 9, tabled in the legislature earlier this week, proposes the use of the notwithstanding clause to ensure three bills that affect transgender youth and adults can’t be overturned by the courts.
One bill prevents youth under 16 from accessing gender-affirming treatments, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy, and prohibits gender surgery for minors.
Another requires school staff to tell parents or guardians if any students under 18 want to be addressed by a name or pronoun of a different gender identity. Under the bill, parents of students under 16 must give permission for school staff to use the student’s chosen name and pronouns.
The third bill requires anyone participating in female-only competitive sports in Alberta to have been assigned female at birth.
The premier said it’s a move made to protect children, by preserving their fertility until they’re mature enough to make potentially life-changing decisions.
Brooke Roberts, who attended the rally, said she’s angry and afraid about the impact this move could have on transgender kids.
“On a personal note, no child should be forced to suffer the way I did growing up,” Roberts said.
“We just want them to know that, no matter what, they deserve to be who they are. No matter what, they have a family. And we
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